Ghoul Evolution

This article details creatures that have not been playtested. As a consequence, balance is not guaranteed, and the challenge ratings are as always estimates. If anyone has suggestions, feel free to email me (eslashnz@yahoo.co.nz) and I may implement them. Note that I will not accept new material, as this webpage is intended solely for my creations and I could get in trouble with my hosts.

Update: I saw Blade II recently. If you have also seen this movie, you'll no doubt remark on the resemblance of the villain to some of my illustrations. I get this a lot. Rest assured that I am not actually a Hollywood spy; I haven't left New Zealand since, oh, 1998.

Travelers from Dar el Beida (Casablanca) to Calcutta speak in fearful tones of the predaceous ghoul, lurking in wait for the unwary or the weak. Although few have met them, those who have and escaped know that they have faced something more and less than human, a corpse mutated and possessed in order to ravage the living.
What they do not know is that these are but shadows of the true ghoul. For a ghoul is an undead husk, possessed by a spirit from a dark plane of existence, and over the centuries and millennia the ghoul's corpse seeks out flesh and life to feed its transformation into a worthy body.
And that spirit does not resemble a human in the least.

The Monster Manual details ghouls, lacedons, and ghasts. This article details urghouls (and urladeconi), cannibal hulks (and cannibal leviathans), and cannibal behemoths, as well as the cannibal wraith or hevacore that is the demonic source of the ghoul.

Evolution:

The ghoul is the newborn member of the family. It evolves certain characteristics: fingers and toes fuse together to form massive claws, teeth elongate, and the tongue becomes almost prehensile. The skin thickens and becomes leathery, albeit taking on the colour of decayed flesh. Within ten years of its creation, a well-fed ghoul will evolve into a ghast.
The ghast is tougher, larger and faster, and its tongue elongates further, always hanging free of its mouth. Studs of bone can be seen beneath its skin and along its spine. The distortions intensify, giving it an inhuman visage. Within fifty years of creation, a ghast becomes an urghoul.
The urghoul is the first truly inhuman mutation. It can attack with its tongue. Within one hundred years, it evolves into a cannibal hulk, but requires higher food intake.
The cannibal hulk has become quadrupedal, and can climb walls. It attacks with several tongue-like appendages. Within two hundred years, it evolves into a cannibal behemoth.
The cannibal behemoth hovers above the ground and is so rare as to be unknown to many scholars. This is good, because it is a hive of death once aroused. Within five hundred years, it matures, and hatches into a cannibal wraith.
The cannibal wraith cannot survive on the Prime Material Place without a constant source of food. It is a negative spirit, constantly on the prowl for fresh life forces to ingest. Given time, it may grow even larger and achieve rank in the Abyss.

The lacedon is similar to the ghoul, but marine. It matures into a lacedonian ghast. The lacedonian ghast in turn evolves into the cannibal leviathan, and the leviathan becomes a mature cannibal behemoth. The lacedonian family tree evolves broader fins and sweeping hands to survive in their native environment, but are otherwise similar to their ghoulish equivalents.

New Variant: Lacedonian Ghast

The aquatic ghast has a swim speed of thirty feet.
Stench: In addition to the normal stench effects, a lacedonian ghast pollutes an area of water to serve as its lair. This lair must be in a secluded position, where the water does not flow, such as a cavern or the interior of a sunken ship. This area is equal to four ten-foot cubes, arranged in any consecutive pattern. Any respiring beings entering this area must save each round or succumb to the lacedonian ghast's nausea.

Urghoul

Urghouls are hideous undead aberrations that resemble looming cadaverous apes more than the humans they once were. They lurk in the dark corners of the world, seeking prey to feed their prodigious appetites.

All game-related material has been removed. You'll be able to get it again soon, albeit not as easily.

Variant: Urlacedon

The aquatic urghoul has a swim speed of 45 feet.Stench (Ex): In addition to the normal stench effects, an urlacedon pollutes an area of water to serve as its lair. This lair must be in a secluded position, where the water does not flow, such as a cavern or the interior of a sunken ship. This area is equal to 25 ten-foot cubes, arranged in any consecutive pattern. Any respiring beings entering this area must save each round or succumb to the urlacedon's nausea.

Cannibal hulks are hideous undead abominations that have cast off much of their previous humanity in a continued mutation. They are quadrupedal predators that revel in havoc and pain, attacking anyone foolish enough to enter their mortifying territory.
A cannibal hulk is a powerful creature with four legs and two forelimbs, but it does not resemble a centaur. Rather, the central pair of limbs hoists its torso above the ground, and the head hangs down with two limbs alongside. Its hide is thick and decayed, and studded with vicious spines and horns. It has no eyes and no throat; it 'sees' through accurate sonic pulses and highly developed sensory glands along its flanks, and it digests its prey by means of the nest of tendrils covering its chest and belly. A tongue-like appendage emerges from the front of its head, and two more from its flanks just behind the central limb pair; these tongues constantly drool a foul slime, but are prehensile and just as long as its body. The two limbs alongside its head are smaller than the other limbs, but strike with the force of its neck muscles. It has a short tail, about two feet long; this tail is useless.
In combat, a cannibal hulk will rear up, allowing its central limbs to strike at the enemy. It locomotes on its hind two pairs, but is surprisingly agile and can rear up and down very quickly. The forelimbs are never used to move, except when climbing.
Cannibal hulks cannot speak. They understand any languages they spoke during life (usually Common), but they are likely to know only archaic dialects. They can write crudely using their massive claws, but are probably disinclined to do so except when dealing with extremely powerful evil creatures.Combat
Cannibal hulks attack with surprise, leaping from cover or dropping from a dark cavern ceiling. They will intelligently assess their foes, attacking powerful creatures from a distance with their tongues; they have been known to carry off individuals from a party along roofs that defeat pursuit. However, against weak opponents, they will plunge into melee and attempt to cause as much damage as possible.Stench (Ex): The flesh and half-digested prey adhering to a cannibal hulk puts off a stench that sickens those nearby. Those within 20 feet must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 19) or become nauseous, suffering a -2 circumstance penalty to all attacks, saves, and skill checks for 1d6+12 minutes.Paralysis (Ex): Those hit by a cannibal hulk's tongue or claw attack must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 19) or be paralysed for 1d6+12 minutes. Elves are susceptible to this paralysis.Create Spawn (Su): In most cases, cannibal hulks devour their prey. However, any body slain by a cannibal hulk that lies where it falls will rise as a ghoul in 1d4 days. Casting protection from evil on the body will prevent this transformation.Spikes (Ex): The cannibal hulk is covered with spikes and hazardous growths. Any creature grappling with a cannibal hulk takes 1d6 piercing damage.Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the hulk must hit with a tongue attack. If it gets a hold, it automatically deals tongue damage and draws the target flush against its body, dealing the spike damage listed. (If the target is Large or larger, they may retain their original position; the hulk cannot pull them.) Undead: Immune to mind-influencing effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning and disease. Not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, energy drain, or death from massive damage.Blindsight (Ex): Cannibal hulks can perceive out to 60 feet using scent, hearing and other sensory glands. They cannot see anything beyond this range. Negating its sense of smell, hearing or heat sense does nothing; if two are eliminated, this ability is reduced to the feat Blind-Fight; and negating all three blinds it.Immunities (Ex): Because it has no eyes, a cannibal hulk is immune to gaze attacks, visual effects, illusions, and other attack forms that rely on sight.* Skills: Because it has a climb speed, the cannibal hulk receives a +8 racial bonus to Climb checks. It has a +8 racial bonus to Listen checks.Attacks: Because of its alien physiognomy, the cannibal hulk can use all three of its tongues at once at its full attack bonus. The reach given of 15 feet is for its tongues; its claws have reach 10 feet.

Variant: Cannibal Leviathan

The aquatic cannibal hulk is identical to the land-based variation except for its lair.Stench (Ex): In addition to the normal stench effects, a cannibal leviathan pollutes an area of water to serve as its lair. This lair must be in a secluded position, where the water does not flow, such as a cavern or the interior of a sunken ship. This area is equal to 50 ten-foot cubes, arranged in any consecutive pattern. Any respiring beings entering this area must save each round or succumb to the leviathan's nausea.

Cannibal behemoths are hideous mutations that no longer bear any resemblance to the human corpse that they began as. They are airborne creatures that strike fear into the hearts of those that are unlucky enough to stumble across their hunting grounds. Actual survivors of a behemoth attack are incredibly rare.
A cannibal behemoth is ten feet long, and almost as wide. Its muscular flanks anchor six taloned limbs that hang beneath its body. It has no head to speak of, but from its 'front' emerges a tongue as long as its body, and between the second and third pair of limbs emerge two more, one on either side. These tongues are barbed and drool a putrescent slime. At the rear of its body, a short tail juts upwards; the tail is capable of being folded beneath the creature, and is tipped with a powerful sucker.
The cannibal behemoth's body is mostly hollow; its chest and belly are a nest of tendrils seemingly anchored to its spine or ribcage. It uses these tendrils to digest its prey, sometimes when it is still alive. This surprising lightness allows the behemoth to fly; it has a natural form of levitation that keeps it buoyant, and its webbed appendages allow it to 'swim' through the air. It is very agile and can execute any maneuver.
Despite being eyeless, the behemoth is not blind; it can 'see' through a system of nostrils, heat-sensitive pits and auricles running down its flanks.
Cannibal behemoths cannot speak, but they understand archaic dialects of whatever languages they died knowing (usually Common), Draconic, and Abyssal. In the rare event they decide to communicate, they can handle writing implements in their belly tendrils or scratch crude designs in the sand with their massive claws. However, few creatures can command the respect of a cannibal behemoth; most will be devoured before it deigns to communicate.Combat
The cannibal behemoth is a cautious creature, and prefers to remain out of range of its opponents while picking them off with its superior reach or showering them with paralytic spines. Against an opponent that can actually injure it, the behemoth will either retreat and regroup or go into a frenzy, trying to tear the enemy to pieces with little regard for itself. Against lesser opponents, it will snare individuals and fly off with them, attempting to engulf them; the behemoth flies high, so even if the victim escapes its grasp, the fall will injure or kill it.Stench (Ex): The flesh and half-digested prey adhering to a cannibal hulk puts off a stench that sickens those nearby. Those within 30 feet must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 21) or become nauseous, suffering a -2 circumstance penalty to all attacks, saves, and skill checks for 1d6+16 minutes.Paralysis (Ex): Those hit by an cannibal behemoth's tongue, spike or claw attack must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 21) or be paralysed for 1d6+16 minutes. Elves are susceptible to this paralysis.Create Spawn (Su): A cannibal behemoth devours the flesh of its victims, but leaves the bones. These rise in 1 day as skeletons under the control of the behemoth. (Note that the behemoth can control an unlimited number of skeletons in this fashion.) If it leaves a victim to lie, that corpse becomes a ghoul in 1d4 days; these ghouls are free-willed, but will likely follow the lead of their more experienced creator.Spikes (Ex): The cannibal behemoth is covered with spikes and hazardous growths. Any creature grappling with a cannibal hulk takes 1d6 piercing damage and must save against the paralysis effect. In addition, the behemoth may use one of its claw attacks to instead pluck and hurl a spike with the modifiers and damage listed above. The behemoth takes 1hp damage in a round when it hurls more than one spike; it cannot regrow the spikes quickly enough.Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the behemoth must hit with a tongue attack. If it gets a hold, it automatically deals tongue damage and draws the target flush against its body, dealing the spike damage listed. (If the target is Large or larger, they may retain their original position; the behemoth cannot pull them.) The behemoth may then make a standard grapple check to engulf the victim.Sucker (Ex): If the behemoth forgoes all six claw attacks, it may use its sucker to grapple. It strikes as a melee touch attack using the secondary attack bonus, and deals no damage. However, merely touching the target is enough to establish a grapple immediately; the behemoth may then make a grapple attack to engulf the victim. The behemoth may continue to grapple an individual creature with its sucker only; it does not suffer the normal -20 penalty to grappling with a single appendage.Engulf (Ex): On a standard grapple check, the behemoth may engulf a held creature in its belly tendrils. An engulfed creature takes 2d6 piercing damage per round (giving the behemoth 1 temporary hit point per point of damage inflicted). A creature may escape from the belly by making a successful grapple check, but must contend with the behemoth's altitude. (A behemoth cannot directly perceive its stomach, but will still attempt to make an attack of opportunity against escaping creatures; the creature has full concealment while escaping.) Note that the creature is still perceptible amongst the tendrils; another creature may attempt to pull it free, or attack it with half concealment. The engulfed creature cannot attack anything but the behemoth while engulfed. Undead: Immune to mind-influencing effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning and disease. Not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, energy drain, or death from massive damage.Blindsight (Ex): Cannibal behemoths can perceive out to 60 feet using scent, hearing and other sensory glands. They cannot see anything beyond this range. Negating its sense of smell, hearing or heat sense does nothing; if two are eliminated, this ability is reduced to the feat Blind-Fight; and negating all three blinds it.Immunities (Ex): Because it has no eyes, a cannibal behemoth is immune to gaze attacks, visual effects, illusions, and other attack forms that rely on sight.Levitation (Su): The cannibal behemoth generates a magical levitation effect continuously. If dispelled, it can create it again on its next action as a free action; if removed, the behemoth remains mobile, able to swim, climb and run, but cannot use its fly speed.* Skills: Because it has a climb speed, the cannibal behemoth receives a +8 racial bonus to Climb checks. It has a +8 racial bonus to Listen checks.Attacks: Because of its alien physiognomy, the cannibal behemoth can use all three of its tongues at once at its full attack bonus.

Variant: Aquatic cannibal behemoth

Those behemoths that dwell underwater create putrescent lairs similar to lacedonian ghasts, urlacedons and cannibal leviathans. They are perhaps deadlier than a behemoth encountered on land, because they are naturally buoyant and can swim in three-dimensional space; their levitation can be dispelled, but it will have no effect.Stench (Ex): In addition to the normal stench effects, a cannibal behemoth pollutes an area of water to serve as its lair. This lair must be in a secluded position, where the water does not flow, such as a cavern or the interior of a sunken ship. This area is equal to 100 ten-foot cubes, arranged in any consecutive pattern. Any respiring beings entering this area must save each round or succumb to the behemoth's nausea.

The cannibal wraith or hevacore is a negative demon hatched from the husk of a cannibal behemoth. It is a flying terror whose very existence depends on devouring the souls of its mortal prey.
A hevacore is radially symmetrical. It has no eyes, instead perceiving the world with a mystical sense. Its hide is crumpled and organic, but provides good protection. It has six limbs depending from its body, each tipped with a pair of digits joined by a translucent membrane, and between every second pair of limbs emerges a tentacle. The underside of its body is lined with writhing tendrils, and appears to be hollow. A stump on its back opens onto a dark, swirling vortex. The entire creature is incorporeal and translucent, flickering with shades of blue above and red below.
Hevacores are normally found on the Negative Energy Plane. They are also found in the Prime Material plane, where they are forced to drain souls to survive, and the Abyss, although as they are a negative demon they often come to odds with tanar'ri demons. No matter where they dwell, a hevacore is a vicious predator that devours its prey, body and soul.
Hevacores understand Abyssal, Celestial and Draconic, as well as any languages they spoke in their half-forgotten mortal days. Unlike cannibal behemoths or hulks, they can also speak by vibrating the air around them. In addition, they can communicate telepathically.Combat
Hevacores are cunning opponents. Their favourite tactic is to blanket their prey in darkness and snatch individuals away while they are disoriented, then plunge them one by one into its vortex. However, driven by the need to reproduce, they will only kill about half the creatures they encounter; the other half it will attempt to infect with the ghoul curse, and then set free. If the prey is too weak to wander far, it will likely slay it and let the body lie until it rises.Chill aura (Su): A hevacore radiates intense cold. Any creatures within 50 feet must succeed at a Fortitude saving throw (DC 21) or suffer a -4 circumstance penalty to attacks, saves and skill checks for 1d6+9 minutes due to intense shivering and shaking. (Even one point of cold resistance or protection prevents this effect.)Energy Drain (Su): Living creatures struck by a hevacore's attacks, held in its vortex, or striking the hevacore with natural weapons, receive one negative level. The Fortitude save to remove a negative level has a DC of 18.Create Spawn (Su): Living creatures slain by a cannibal wraith and allowed to lie rise from the dead after 1d4 hours as ghouls. Living creatures that are struck by a hevacore must succeed at a Fortitude saving throw (DC 21) or be infected with the ghoul curse; this infection is identical to the ghoul curse spell detailed below. Neither ability can be dispelled, but either can be removed with a break enchantment, limited wish, miracle, remove curse, or wish spell, or driven out by a successful turn check with total turned Hit Dice greater than the caster's level plus seven. (The maximum hit dice of the turning attempt do not matter.)Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the hevacore must hit with a tentacle attack. If it gets a hold, it automatically deals tentacle damage. It may maintain a hold with one tentacle with no penalty.Vortex (Su): A hevacore can try to ingest a Medium-size or smaller opponent by making a successful grapple check. Once ingested, the creature is in an extradimensional sphere barely large enough to stand upright, completely alone; one sphere is created for every creature absorbed. The creature is affected by the hevacore's chill aura and energy drain abilities while inside the sphere. An ingested creature can cut its way out by dealing 30 points of damage to the sphere (which has damage reduction 20/+2, but is not incorporeal) or by using healing effects totaling 10 or more hp. In either case, the creature is ejected from the vortex and lands beside the hevacore. If 10 points of healing are applied from outside, the creature involuntarily releases all spheres within itself. If the hevacore is slain, the bubbles are cast adrift on the Ethereal Plane, but no longer drain energy. Of course, the trapped creature will be lost and may starve to death if it cannot burst the bubble.
A dead creature is usually retained within the hevacore. In times of need, it will cast animate dead or create undead within itself and vomit forth a small army; it will not create undead ahead of time, however. A random hevacore will have 2d6 corpses inside, with its treasure divided between them.Spell-like abilities (Sp): At will - animate dead, darkness, desecrate, dispel magic, teleport without error (self plus 50 pounds of objects only); 3/day - create undead (ghoul only). These abilities are as the spells cast by a 12th-level sorcerer (save DC 10 + spell level).Harm bolts (Sp): The hevacore may forgo a claw attack to cast a harm bolt. This is a ranged incorporeal attack (+11 attack bonus). If it hits, the target must succeed at a Fortitude saving throw (DC 19) or suffer a negative level as though it had been energy drained by the cannibal wraith. The hevacore gains no benefit from this attack, however, and will only use it when desparate, bombarding an enemy with a hail of negative energy.Incorporeal: Can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, +1 or better magic weapons, or magic, with a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source. Can pass through solid objects at will, and own attacks pass through armour. Always moves silently.Negative: Immune to poison, disease, death effects and necromantic effects. Not susceptible to ability damage, ability drain, or energy drain. Negative energy restores hit points; healing energy deals damage.Cold Subtype (Ex): Cold immunity, double damage from fire expect on a successful save.Blindsight (Su): Hevacores can see out to 100 feet. This sense is supernatural; if somehow nullified, the hevacore is blinded.Immunities (Ex): Because it has no eyes, a cannibal wraith is immune to gaze attacks, visual effects, illusions, and other attack forms that rely on sight.Detect life/undead (Su): These abilities allow a hevacore to sense any living or undead creature within 100 feet, and are otherwise identical to detect undead. They are continuous; if dispelled, the hevacore can recast them as a free action.Rebuke Undead (Su): A hevacore may rebuke undead as a 12th-level cleric. It may use this ability as many times as it wishes, but if a given undead resists its attempts it is immune to further attempts for one day.Telepathy (Su): Hevacores can communicate telepathically with any creature within 100 feet that has a language.Attacks: Because of its alien physiognomy, the hevacore can use all three of its tentacles at once at its full attack bonus.

Advanced Progression Guidelines

The DC for all saves associated with ghoul-based undead are equal to 13 plus their half their hit dice. (This applies to stench and paralysis.) The duration of paralysis and nausea is equal to 1d6 minutes plus one minute per hit die. These figures are not included in the monster blocks for simplicity's sake. (They may also be applied to the ghoul, lacedon and ghast.)

Ri'Ava: the Negative Demons

While the tanar'ri are the most famous branch of the demon family, the negative demons or ri'ava are just as prevalent, although most mortals do not realise this. While tanar'ri spend their time fighting, negative demons are reproducing in the form of undead. The only way a ri'avum can reproduce is by selecting a mortal body and infecting it with a part of its essence.
There are many species of negative demon, and each produces a distinct form of undead offspring. Consequently, ri'ava spend a great deal of time fighting each other for the dead or soon-to-be dead. A single ri'avum will compete with its brethren in most cases, for each has a different niche of mortal prey; the hevacore, for example, seek out gluttons and cannibals and infect them with the Ghoul Curse, as their instincts will serve the subsequent incubation cycle well.
Most ri'ava are incorporeal and capable of telepathic communication. They all have some degree of energy draining ability, all can rebuke undead, and all have the Negative subtype.

Negative Subtype
Living creatures survive on positive energy. A negative creature survives on negative energy. This has several effects:
Because biological processes run backwards or in alien ways, a negative creature is immune to poison and disease. This includes any effects that would interfere with breathing, such as most gasses. And because of these biological properties, death effects and necromantic effects do not affect a negative creature.
Nothing can be drained from a negative creature, as its life force is already 'below zero'. It is not susceptible to ability drain or energy drain. In addition, it is immune to ability damage.
Negative energy, which normally deals damage, instead restores hit points equal to the damage that would have been done, as if the negative creature was undead. Any associated effects are nullified.
Positive energy, which normally heals, instead deals damage equal to the hit points that would have been restored, as if the negative creature was undead. Any associated effects are nullified.

New Spells

You place a ghoul curse on the creature touched. They are inhabited with a ghoul spirit; it lies dormant until they die. 1d4 days after death, they rise from the grave as a ghoul under your control. (If you already control undead up to your Hit Dice in number, the ghoul becomes free.)
The victim does not sense anything to be wrong, but any alignment detection locates an extra chaotic evil alignment distinct from their own somewhere within their body, and they are detected by detect undead spells. The ghoul curse cannot be dispelled, but it can be removed with a break enchantment, limited wish, miracle, remove curse, or wish spell, or driven out by a successful turn check with total turned Hit Dice greater than the caster's level plus seven. (The maximum hit dice of the turning attempt do not matter.)

Upon your word, a black bolt of negative energy springs from your hand. You must make a ranged touch attack to hit. If the attack succeeds, the subject gains one negative level.
If the subject has at least as many negative levels as HD, they die. Each negative level gives a creature the following penalties: -1 competence penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, ability checks, and effective level (for determining the power, duration, DC and other details of spells or special abilities). Additionally, a spellcaster loses one spell or spell slot from their highest available level. Negative levels stack.
Assuming the subject survives, they regain lost levels after one hour. Usually, negative levels might permanently drain the subject, but this doesn't last long enough.
If the ray strikes an undead creature, it gives that creature 1 temporary hit point per caster level (maximum 10hp).